


Church Bells Ringing

by AmerUKa_4



Category: Kiss Me (2014)
Genre: Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, F/F, Friends to Lovers, Physical Abuse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-01
Updated: 2020-05-12
Packaged: 2021-03-01 22:26:53
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 13,813
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23944663
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AmerUKa_4/pseuds/AmerUKa_4
Summary: So I don't think anyone has actually written a fic based on this film? Possibly because of how problematic and amateur it is.. so I'm not exactly shocked. But I ran across some scenes from it on youtube and before I knew it, I was somewhat invested. The problem was, of course, the ending as heteronormativity won out (again, shocking).. so here I am to give the grade D ending a revamp.This was, honestly, mainly for me to try to make sense of the end of the film.. so no hard feelings if you actually don't give a damn about this movie or fic. If you do and want to watch a couple quick scenes to know what I'm referring to - and what this fic is regarding - here are the links.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ODOQLaRXKXYhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BPI3gqTw2aM&t=447s(The friends turned lovers trope always seems to get to me and I just had to fix this shit lol sorry in advance)
Relationships: Shelby/Zoe
Comments: 4
Kudos: 8





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Also I don't expect this to be very long.. maybe one more chapter after this.

The phone startled her awake, ringing vehemently throughout the small room and bouncing off of the walls like a pinball. She shot off the bed and reached out for it on her side table, desperate to make it stop. The iphone was knocked to the ground instead. She groaned loudly and before she could even question who might be calling her at 3 in the morning, she picked it up and slid her thumb over the screen to unlock it.

“Hello??”

It came out much angrier than she had intended which was somewhat unfair to the recipient on the line.. but then again maybe they should have expected that response – calling at 3am and all.

She waited a moment for a response, but all she could hear was heavy breathing on the line which just angered her further.

“Listen, asshole.. It’s 3am and I need to be up for a final in the morning. So if you could maybe start speaking and letting me know why you called I would greatly appreciate that..”

She waited another moment thinking that she maybe heard a whimper on the line. That was weird? But, still no response. Her level of frustration was only rising and at this point, the adrenaline coursing through her was enough to keep her up all night now. She sighed indignantly as an impatient growl rose to her throat.

“Fine, if you don’t want to speak I’m hanging up.. weirdo..”

Just as she was about to drop the call, she heard a voice finally speak up.

“N-no, wait!”

Rolling her eyes, she brought the phone back up to her ear to give whoever this was one more chance to speak.

“Okay.. who is this?”

“Zoe?”

Her eyebrows scrunched together in confusion. “What? That’s my name? Look, whoever you are this is creeping me out and-“

“Z-Zoe? Um..”

The voice spoke again and her heart hammered inside her chest. She knew that voice. Zoe pulled the phone back in disbelief, scanning the number that lit up the screen. She didn’t recognize it but she supposed that wasn’t exactly surprising as she was never given a number anyway. She carefully brought the phone back up to her ear, her breathing labored and voice trembling.

“Sh- Shelby?”

Flashbacks ran through her mind of the beautiful blonde and Zoe closed her eyes tightly. She missed her so much her heart _ached_. Her laughter, her loving gazes, her silly humor, the way she was always there for her, her genuine capability to make everything around her brighter.. There wasn’t one thing Zoe didn’t miss. She stuttered out a heavy breath as a response came through the line. 

“Hey..” 

She sounded the same. If not, even more of a southern twang and maybe a little ..shaken? As much as she adored the Southern accent, she hated the fear she heard shaking in her voice. 

“Holy shit, I -” Zoe breathed deeply again and sat up straight against her headboard abruptly, running a shaky hand through her long hair. “S-Sorry I’m sorry I just.. Why are you calling me, Shelby?”  
She waited several moments.. It felt like minutes passed before she heard the voice on the other end. 

“I-I’m sorry.. I’m so sorry.. This was, um.. This was stupid and I shouldn’t have called you.. I’m sorry..” Shelby’s voice broke as she finished her rambling and Zoe felt her heart race. 

“It’s.. it’s okay, Shelb, just..”

“No- I’m sorry.. I’m sorry to wake you up and interrupt your night and - _God_ \- I’m so so stupid, I .. I’m gonna go, Zo..”

Zoe could tell Shelby was crying. She still knew her well enough. She knew what she had been dealing with her whole life. And it scared her. This call scared her.. Because what had happened now? 

“No! Please, Shelby.. Please don’t hang up..”

She heard the line go quiet other than a slight whimper. She waited, hoping the other woman wouldn’t hang up on her. Shelby took a deep, steadying breath.

“Okay..” It was so meek and _soft_ and God Zoe would still do absolutely anything for this girl. Including staying on a phone call at 3 in the morning when she had a final exam at 8. “I.. um.. I miss you, Zo..”

She smiled brightly. “I miss you too, Shelby. Like a crazy amount…”

“Yeah?”

Shelby still sounded a little reserved, but seemed to slowly unwind as the seconds passed. 

Zoe breathed out “Yeah.” 

She waited a moment while the comfortable silence infiltrated through the line .. she swore she could hear the blonde smiling. It made her own smile widen. 

“So, how have you been?”

Shelby took a deep breath and sighed. “You know, good.. I suppose..”

“Just good?” Zoe didn’t like how defeated the blonde sounded. 

“Yeah, you know.. How good can life be, really?” 

And this didn’t sound like Shelby at all. She always found a way to look on the bright side of things and this.. Subdued, hopeless version of the girl she once loved shook her to the core. 

Before she could reply, Shelby spoke up again. 

“H-how have you been?”

Zoe shook it off. “I’ve, uh.. Yeah, I’ve been fine. Just working my way through school, really...” She pulled the blanket up around her midsection, playing with the fibers with her right hand while the left cradled the phone close to her ear. “I just have one more semester after this.”

Shelby smiled again brightly. “Wow, that’s.. So amazing, Zoe. I always knew you could do it. Defying expectations, as always..”

The blonde whispered the last sentence and Zoe felt her heart jolt. She laughed awkwardly, never a fan of attention. “Yeah, I suppose.. My mom seems pleased enough and you know how hard doing that can be..”

Shelby laughed - almost as if she wanted to laugh loudly but couldn’t. Zoe wondered for a moment why the other woman felt as if she had to hide her laughter but then she let the sound sink in. _God_ she truly missed that sound. All of the times she heard the girl’s laugh in the past swam through her mind - jumping on the trampoline together, tickle fights on Shelby’s bed, splashing around in the pool when Zoe should have been swimming laps. She felt a kind of warmth seep through her veins as the sound echoed through the receiver. She smiled softly. 

“Yeah, she is quite hard to please, isn’t she?”

“Yeah well she has gotten better over the years, to be fair..” The laughter died down until..

“Shelby, are you - Is everything alright? You seem -”

“Hm? Oh, yeah.. No, I’m fine.. Yeah..”

Zoe’s brow furrowed again. Something wasn’t right. “Shelby, you know you can always be honest with me.. I know it’s been a while.. But you can - _I’m still here for you.._ ”

This time as the moments passed, she was certain she heard crying on the line and her heart squeezed in pain. She didn’t want to make Shelby cry.. Actually, it was the last thing she wanted. But she froze up and all she could do was whisper.. “Sh-Shelby, please..”

Hearing the brunette’s soft voice on the other end of the call was enough for Shelby to break down in heavy sobs and Zoe shot up from her bed in panic at the sound. 

“Shelby, What.. what is it? I’m so sorry I didn’t mean to make you cry? I -”

“It’s.. Zo it’s not you, it’s just.. Hold on..”

Zoe paced her room in full panic mode as she heard shuffling on the line. She listened closely and it sounded like Shelby was moving somewhere.. Maybe going downstairs? Definitely that because the next thing she heard was feet padding down some steps, one at a time. When the line went quiet for another moment, she whispered again, desperate to hear Shelby’s voice again. “Shelby?”

She listened as the woman sighed and finally responded. “Yeah.. S-sorry about that..”

As thoughtless as it was, Zoe couldn’t control the sudden feeling of frustration washing over her. She was feeling so many things right now: worry, concern, confusion, fear and all of them not being explained together led to the undeniable feeling of frustration. 

“Shelby. What is going on?!” She hissed into the phone before she could think and immediately regretted it. But she had to know. Why would Shelby call her in the middle of the night and not explain?

“Zoe, I’m so sorry.. I know you’re probably confused..”

Zoe looked up to the ceiling, defeated. “Um, yes. Yes Shel I’m extremely confused. Can you please tell me what’s going on?”

She heard sniffling once again and waited a moment. She was starting to lose her patience. 

“Zoe, I- I need to tell you somethin’.”

The brunette’s heart jumped as she froze on the spot. “Of course, I told you I’m here for you. You can tell me anything, Shelby..”

Zoe listened to the deep, steadying breath the blonde took and sat back down. She didn’t realize she was squeezing her hand tightly into a fist until she noticed small nail indentations on her palm. She massaged her hand for a moment and took a deep breath herself. 

“I.. dammit.. This is not as easy as I thought it would be..”

Zoe could have replied with another snide remark or complaint or indignant halt, but she didn’t. This was obviously something that meant enough to Shelby that she struggled to voice.. And who was Zoe to stunt that. So instead she whispered “It’s alright..”

Just two short words filled Shelby with enough confidence and adoration and then the words “I’m not over you..” were rolling off her tongue before she could even question it. A tear fell down her cheek ever so slowly as she heard a small gasp on the line. _Oh God_. Everything went silent and Shelby could swear an hour passed. 

“Y-you aren’t? What do you..” Zoe cleared her throat, her hands fully shaking now.. “What do you mean you aren’t.. Over me.. Shelby?”

Shelby let out a bark of laughter, tears falling freely now. “I mean, Zoe.. that I have loved you and have never stopped loving you for 7 years..”

And the air shot from her lungs so fast that Zoe felt like she could faint. She laid flat and took a deep breath, willing her body to calm down. The phone came away from her cheek; it was warm and wet from her tears. She tapped the speaker so she could compose herself without the device latched onto her. Zoe took a few deep breaths as her shaky hands wiped the tears free falling down her face. _Shelby.. Shelby loved her. Loved her?! This was insane. They hadn’t seen each other in almost 4 years._

Shelby was waiting on the line, not in a much better state but trying to be patient. Zoe finally spoke up, willing the sob to not break out. 

“Shelby, how.. How can you say that? I mean the last time we saw one another you were.. You were getting married?”

Zoe said the last two words with such distaste on her tongue she cringed. It’s not that she hated Shelby’s husband.. She just hadn’t understood. She hadn’t understood how it happened so quickly and Shelby had only been 18? 18 when she got married and the last time she had seen her from then was that fateful night that she had been kicked out. There had been no explanation, no closure, nothing. But she had kept the peace and pushed her feelings to the side.. And now the frustration was truly building up. She just couldn’t stop it. 

Shelby shuffled around a bit, presumably moving the phone to her other ear. “I know.. I know, Zo.. It was, goddammit, it was stupid. It was a stupid, rushed decision and just.. _Can’t you see_?”

Zoe sniffed and reached for a tissue on her bedside table. “See what, Shelby..”

“Can’t you see that this was just a way for me to try and get over you, Zoe? I mean, after everything we’d been through together.. After seeing me at my absolute worst and still being there for me..in the best way.. More than anyone had ever been there. And then you were.. You were just.. _gone._ ” 

Shelby sobbed momentarily before composing herself again. She was determined to finish this.

“You were gone and I loved you.. _so much_.. More than I’ve ever loved anyone or anything. And when you left I.. I was desperate and yearning for a replacement of you in my life.. So to speak. I didn’t know back then that you could never be replaced, Zo. Especially not by him..”

The line grew silent again as Zoe laid on her side, stunned. Shelby was sobbing into her hand, desperately trying to muffle the sound from traveling through the speaker. She already felt humiliated as it was without Zoe knowing she was crying for her. Zoe blinked as tears fell fast now, dripping from her cheeks onto the pillow causing a small, salty puddle. She sat back up, hoping they would stop but it was just the opposite, in fact. Hot tears were falling uncontrollably and Zoe gasped, wiping them with the mangled tissue. The next thing she knew, she was sobbing.. Wailing even and squeezing her hands into fists again - not caring about the nail indents she made this time. Shelby was terrified by this reaction, clutching desperately to her own t-shirt bunched up in her hands as she listened to the love of her life sob over the phone. She wanted to shout for her to stop, she wanted to be there - the hold her and wipe the tears and kiss her cheeks.. But all that came out was a whisper. “Zoe, please.. Please don’t cry..”

“Don’t cry? How am I meant to not cry, Shelby? You can’t just.. Just.. _fuck_.” Zoe took a steadying breath and jumped off of her bed to grab more tissues. She blew her nose and opened the window, desperately seeking fresh air. The cold air hit her face and she felt a moment of reprieve. 

“Zo?” She heard the soft whisper from the speaker still laying on her pillow and her heart skipped a beat. What was she doing? She had been waiting years for this.. For Shelby to confess her feelings. Her thoughts travelled back to all the times she heard that voice whisper her name… in trust and confidence and love. She never liked her name more than when Shelby said it. A sudden desperate need to assure the blonde took over her and she literally dove back on the bed, snatching her phone from the pillow. She tapped the speaker off and lifted the device back to her ear once again. 

“It’s okay, Shelby.. I’m here.” She heard Shelby let out a relieved, shaken sigh.

“Good. I’m so.. I’m so sorry, Zoe. I never want to upset you, ever..”

Zoe smiled and closed her eyes. “I know you don’t..”

Another silence fell over the line - this time, more comfortable and the girls took a moment to just think. Shelby couldn’t help but notice how Zoe didn’t say I love you back. And she couldn’t stop the fear that seeped in because of it. There was a good chance Zoe didn’t love her .. actually, there was even a chance she hated her and that realization had the blonde crippling in fear. What if she lost her forever? _Oh God._ A sharp, stabbing pain vibrated through her heart at the thought and she actually had to mute her phone this time to cry. She pressed her hand tightly to her mouth as tears fell over her hand. She couldn’t make a sound. No matter what. She pressed harder. 

Then she heard the other woman breath deeply, sighing almost happily. The sound gave her a little hope. At least Zoe wasn’t angry? And then.. Then she heard the most beautiful, sublime words she would ever hear.. And her heart jolted in her chest and she wondered if she had just been imagining it after all..

“I love you so much, Shelby..”

She couldn’t stop the loud sob that racked her body this time - forgetting momentarily that she needed to keep quiet. She smiled through her tears so brightly it hurt and she was sure she hadn’t smiled this big in years.. Since the last time Zoe was in her life. Laughter bubbled up and she wiped the tears flowing freely down her face. This time, happy ones. 

She replied with the first thing that came to her mind.. “I love you, back.” And she heard the brunette sob into the phone this time as well. Neither one of them could refute how clearly they remembered the last time those words were spoken. The last time they professed their love. The first time. And it was just all too much. This was seven years in the making and Zoe felt an overwhelming combination of feelings swim through her soul - devotion, agony, compassion, joy, love - _so much love_. Love she knew she would never feel for anyone.. Ever again. She needed to say it again. And to hear it again. 

“I love you. I’ve never stopped loving you Shelby. You are it for me.. I should have.. Dammit.. I should have done more back then.. You were probably terrified and then your mom hit you and I ran and.. I was a stupid young girl and I wasn’t thinking and .. _God_ I have so many regrets, Shel. I regret so so much. I should have.. I should have..” Sobs wracked her body as she clung to a pillow, the phone still cradled against her ear. “I’m so sorry.. This is all my fault..”

“Babe, no..”

Her heart constricted in reverence at the term, but Zoe carried on. “Yes, Shelby I should have known.. I should have known how hard this would have been for you.. To deal with your mom’s reaction and your dad’s drinking problem and abuse and oh _God_..” she sobbed and curled over, her head in between her legs as she sat shakily on the bed. “I was so selfish. So selfish.. And - ”

“Stop that! Right now!” 

Zoe jumped at the sound of the blonde hissing over the phone. It wasn’t the pitch in which she spoke, no. Actually, Zoe was kind of impressed how the blonde could consecutively shout and whisper at the same time. But it was the tone.. The inflection she put on the words that shut her up before another word was uttered. And to be completely honest, that southern accent didn’t really help to not scare her. There was something about it that made Zoe feel like she was being told off by a teacher. 

“S-sorry, Zo.. I just.. Don’t want you to blame yourself.. You _can’t_ blame yourself. We were only 15 and we didn’t know what the hell we were doin’..” Shelby sighed as Zoe composed herself again, wiping her tears. She really needed to get a hold of herself already. “It wasn’t anyone’s fault, Zo..”

The brunette took a deep breath, still finding it hard to even out her lungs as they were expanding and contracting tightly. After a moment, she sighed and spoke.

“I suppose you’re right. There’s no point in having regrets, right?”

The blonde smiled widely, a grin taking over her face. She really loved this woman, so much. “No. Suppose not, Zo.”

A comfortable silence fell over the line as the two women disembarked from the ups and downs of this strange conversation. Shelby honestly never planned for it to go this way. She was planning on telling Zoe she was still in love with her, yes.. But she certainly didn’t expect the brunette to stay on the line after that. She thought she would have thrown the phone down in disgust or anger or fear. And Zoe? Zoe had absolutely no idea this was going to happen. One minute she was literally sleeping in preparation for her final in the morning.. And the next, she was confessing her love to the girl she used to dream of. Still dreamt of. It was all so overwhelming and they both wondered silently where they were going to go from here. 

And then Shelby spoke softly again into the receiver ..and Zoe blushed fiercely. 

“I hope you still know how amazing you are…” 

Zoe let the words caress her, wrap around her as they had that night they first kissed. Her response was so reminiscent.. Almost the exact words and Zoe couldn’t stop her heart from hammering inside her chest if she tried. It was such a simple word.. _Amazing_. Yet, rolling off of the blonde’s lips.. Well, Zoe never felt amazing at all unless Shelby told her so. Before she could even respond, though, she heard a thud on the other end of the call. And then another. 

“Shelby?” 

The blonde didn’t respond and Zoe’s warm feeling suddenly turned ice cold. She said it a bit louder, thinking that perhaps the blonde just hadn’t heard her before. “Shelby? What is it?”

Instead of hearing the other woman laugh or make fun of her for over-worrying, she heard something that took her back to her past. To the day she called Shelby after seeing the cop cars. And it made her literally jump up in utter fear. 

_“Shelby?! Where are you?!”_

A loud voice, definitely a man, boomed through the phone. Shelby’s breathing became labored and clung desperately to the device still held against her ear. Zoe began to panic and pace her small dorm room again. “Shelby? Shelby, talk to me.. What’s happening?”

Shelby whispered back, even quieter than she had been before. “Zoe, do you .. do you ever come back home?”

Zoe ran a hand through her hair shakily as concern monopolized her face. “Yes, yeah I can come home.. what?-”

“Can you.. Um.. can you come home this weekend? Saturday?”

“Yes, of course Shelby, wh-” She heard heavy footsteps on the line, closer than before and she heard Shelby gasp in fear. _What was happening?_ Then she heard the voice again asking for Shelby to make herself known and Zoe realized just what this might be. And how it all eerily paralleled the past. 

“I - I can’t talk, Zo. Just.. shit.. Just please meet me at that ice cream place we used to go to.. You remember?”

“Yes, of course..” Zoe was confused and scared and desperate and longing to help. She was always feeling a myriad of emotions with Shelby - but this.. These feelings.. The _fear_ , she hadn’t missed. 

“Okay.. I need you to meet me there Saturday.. At noon. Alright? Will you be there, Zoe?”

Zoe stopped in her tracks as tears of confusion sprung to her eyes. She would do anything for the blonde, anything. And that had never changed. So she didn’t think twice before “Yes. Of course I will be there.”

She heard Shelby sigh on the line, but as soon as she felt a moment of relief - it was washed away again with the fear of the footsteps approaching the door she could only assume Shelby was behind. 

“I - I’ve gotta go, Zoe. I’m sorry.. I’ve gotta..”

“Shelby? Shelby! Wait I -”

The distinct sound of the door being yanked open came through the speaker and all she could do was panic. She held the phone close to her ear, hot tears rolling down her cheeks at the sound of Shelby practically screaming the word no, over and over again. She heard the man on the other end - presumably her husband - shout profanities while dragging her out of the closet. Zoe screamed down the phone for Shelby to answer her.. To let her know she was okay.. To _leave_ and never go back.. But her pleading was never acknowledged. 

Because after only a split second, all Zoe could hear was a dial tone. 

______________________________________________________________________


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _______________________________________________________________________________
> 
> Hello again to my very few readers 👋
> 
> I just wanted to say *thank you* for leaving comments and kudos.. I know there's not many of you, but enough for me to continue writing and finishing this story. 
> 
> Also, a quick side-note... I'm thinking this story may be closer to 3 chapters now so pat yourselves on the back for low-key convincing me to extend it lol. 
> 
>   
> Also a **Trigger Warning** for dicussions of abuse and violence.  
> ___________________________________________________________________

Zoe watched as her chocolate ice cream started to melt down the sides of the waffle cone, dripping onto her fingers. 

She quickly grabbed a napkin out of the holder at the side of the table, wiping the digits until they were clean again and sighed, checking her watch for the 37th time since arriving 10 minutes ago. She only ordered a cone to not look suspicious - sitting in an ice cream shop with no ice cream - and now she was just losing her appetite. Zoe stood up, dropping her ice cream into the nearby trash can as her stomach twisted in anticipation. 

Not only was this the first time she was going to see the blonde in years: which petrified her enough… but now Shelby was running about fifteen minutes late. And that petrified the brunette even more. 

“What, too good for ice cream these days?” 

Zoe blinked, heart skipping a beat as she heard Shelby’s southern accent from across the little shop. She turned around slowly, so unbelievably grateful the blonde was finally there and she didn’t have to worry anymore. Her relief quickly clouded her queasiness and she was suddenly mad at her past self for throwing her cone in the trash. She also quite literally felt a deep breath expel her lungs as she finally looked at the angel standing in front of her. 

Okay, Shelby obviously wasn’t an _angel_ so to speak.. But she could fool anyone with eyes. Certainly Zoe. She was wearing a little white lace dress with pink flats, her hair falling around her shoulders in loose waves and Zoe noticed how long it had gotten. Way down past her shoulders now. She was standing in front of the door still, hands tangled together nervously as she avoided the brunette’s heavy gaze. A small smile was still in place and Zoe just couldn’t believe how beautiful Shelby was. All she said was “ _Wow_ ” with so much awe in her voice and of course the blonde giggled which made Zoe that much more embarrassed. Why did she have to be so awkward around her? She never used to be when they were friends… but as soon as she saw Shelby for something more.. Knowing that she was attracted to her as well.. It left her a bumbling mess. Apparently. 

“Was that about the ice cream? Or me?” 

Zoe barked out a laugh and ran a hand through her hair. She ended up never answering that question (but she guessed Shelby might know the answer anyway) as the blonde began walking over to her. Before Zoe could think or speak, Shelby was wrapping her arms around her tightly and standing on her tiptoes to reach. Her arms reached around the brunette’s neck and Zoe held her just as tightly; one hand wrapped around Shelby’s lower back and the other cradling the blonde’s head. They both sighed happily at the feeling and Zoe let her eyes drift shut. 

“I’ve missed you so much, Shelby..” It was whispered into the blonde’s ear before she could even think of what she was saying. Zoe worried maybe it was a bit too intense too soon but then Shelby was smiling next to her other ear and pulling back from the hug and Zoe’s heart was hammering inside her chest seeing the sheer joy on her face. 

“I’ve missed you more than you know..” 

She placed a hand gently on Zoe’s cheek and the brunette was actually swooning at the heavy accent lacing the blonde’s words. God, she loved that accent. She could listen to Shelby speak all day.

“So should we maybe order more ice cream? Since you went and threw yours away like an idiot?”

“Hey! I was - well, I was a little queasy. You can’t exactly blame me, alright? I haven’t seen you in almost four years, Shelb..” 

Shelby laughed and grabbed Zoe by the hand, pulling over to the counter to order. “Alright, alright. Sorry. Whatcha gettin’ then?”

Zoe ordered a sprinkle cone this time, figuring for the second round she may as well try something different. Shelby ordered her usual butter pecan and Zoe’s heart warmed knowing that she hadn’t changed that much after all. They sat in one of the small booths at the back after Shelby insisted they find one with a bit more privacy. Which really didn’t help to quell Zoe’s worries. They chatted for a little while about Zoe’s last semester and how she hoped she did well on that final after the middle of the night wake up call. Shelby apologized promptly before changing the subject again - asking about Zoe’s mom and if she was still wearing her brace. After a little while they finished their cones and Zoe gazed at the blonde’s face as she watched some children playing in the grass in front of the parlour, a smile causing her small dimples to stand out. As Zoe enjoyed the view, she couldn’t help but wonder what today was really about. Her mind drifted back to Tuesday - like it had been ever since hearing what she heard. She just couldn’t get the blonde’s scream out of her mind.. No matter what she tried. The brunette even had a nightmare about it last night - petrifying her into thinking that the blonde possibly wouldn’t show up today. But she had.. and Zoe couldn’t be more thankful. Still, she had to know. She had to help Shelby. She had to.

Her question pulled the blonde from her gaze out of the window quickly. “Shelby, what happened the other night?”

Shelby’s eyes immediately scanned down to the table, playing with the rolled up napkin. “That was.. That was nothin’...”

Zoe pushed on, ignoring the blonde’s attempt to pass this off easily. “Nothing?!” She realized her voice rose too high as another table glanced over. She smiled at them politely and turned back to Shelby, whispering this time. “Shelby, I heard it.. You were.. _screaming_..” Tears sprung to Zoe’s eyes as she remembered the sound. She swore that the sound of the blonde’s desperate scream would haunt her her whole life now.

Shelby’s eyes jolted up at that. “You - you heard that?”

“Y-yes..” Zoe’s voice was shaking now as she wiped the tears falling fast now. _Dammit_. She grabbed the napkin in front of her - desperate to not cry in public. Composing herself, she tried again. “Yes I heard it, Shelby.. And it terrified me.. What’s going on?” 

Shelby wiped tears from her own eyes and sighed heavily. After another few moments of just keeping her eyes closed - presumably thinking - Shelby whispered back. “Zo, we .. we can’t do this here.”

Zoe reached across the table, wrapping the blonde’s hands into hers lovingly. “Then let’s get out of here..”

_____________________________________

They walked to a nearby park hand in hand and sat at one of the benches - out of the way from possible prying ears. Zoe turned towards the blonde, still cradling her hands in her own and waited for her to speak. She figured she knew what this might be about - she wasn’t stupid and she had certainly been through this before with Shelby - but she also wanted to give her all of the time she needed to speak. As the sun shone down on them, Zoe again couldn’t help but think how life comes full circle. How all those years ago they had been sitting in nearly the same exact position as Shelby confessed the abuse she had been experiencing at the hands of her father. The weight of the subject felt heavy.. Heavier than anything she ever felt on her heart. And Zoe pushed the fear and worry and panic aside - trying to remember the love she felt for the blonde instead.

“I don’t have a note this time..” Shelby spoke up finally, causing Zoe’s eyes to dart up to the baby blues in front of her. The blonde chuckled awkwardly, obviously nervous to do this again and Zoe raised a hand to her cheek - swiping her thumb back and forth on the smooth skin. 

“It’s alright, Shelby. You can tell me anything.”

Zoe gently wiped a lone tear falling down Shelby’s cheek and let her hand fall to rest on the blonde’s neck in preparation of wiping away more tears. She would need to if her suspicions were correct. She watched as Shelby sighed heavily, glancing down to her lap. 

“It wasn’t meant to be like this, you know..” Zoe waited another moment for the blonde to continue, rubbing comforting circles on the back of her hand. “It was.. It was supposed to be different. We were - well, I thought we were in love, yano?” Shelby laughed dryly but continued on. “He wasn’t anything like my Dad at first. Loving and comforting and supportive. He used to tell me I was his everything. He used to be.. So sweet..” Shelby’s laugh turned into a grimace as her eyes closed in thought. “He really was. So when he asked me to marry him I didn’t think twice. I remember thinkin’ - ‘Wow, what are the chances I’d find someone like him again? What are the chances anyone would love me again? Or at all?’ ”

Zoe’s heart constricted tightly as she listened to the blonde. All she wanted to do was shout _’Me. I love you and I’ve always loved you and you didn’t deserve this and it should have been me..’_ .. But she continued to listen, squeezing the blonde’s hand and hoping she could feel the love pouring out of her. Shelby had to get this out first. 

Shelby’s breathing suddenly became labored, blue eyes filling with tears. “So the day I heard those church bells ringin’.. I thought ‘this was it.. I’ve finally been saved.’” She let out another laugh - this one pushing the tears to finally fall. Zoe wiped them quickly, desperate to not see the blonde cry. Desperate to not hear these words. Desperate for what Shelby was saying to not be true and to go back in time and change everything somehow. “And then I - I saw you, Zoe..” Shelby looked into her eyes again and her heart soared with the love she could see reflected back at her. “I saw you and I thought.. She looks happy without me. So maybe I can be happy without her too?” 

Shelby’s tears fell hot and heavy now - Zoe struggling to catch them all at this rate. She brought her other hand up and cradled the blonde’s face lovingly. She tried to wait until the blonde was finished to speak, but Zoe couldn’t stop herself after hearing that. 

“Shelby, I wasn’t? I wasn’t happy without you. You - you are the only person who makes me truly happy.” 

She finally let her tears fall as well because this was the first time she had actually said those words. The first time she realized her true feelings. She always knew she loved Shelby, but she didn’t know to what extent. She figured it was puppy love and that she should move on.. But this feeling - her love for the blonde was infinite. She would never love anyone more and she knew it. Shelby’s confession took her back to that wedding day and she remembered everything. She remembered the feeling of complete _heartbreak_ as she watched the love of her life walk down the aisle to another. She remembered the feeling of wanting to just shout out ‘No!’ in the middle of the vows. She remembered subduing that desire.. For Shelby’s happiness. And she certainly remembers the tears that stained her pillow that night. 

A small smile quickly replaced the frown at Zoe’s reaction. “Well. Right back atcha, Zo.”  
Zoe smiled back wetly and couldn’t help it when her hand began to twirl one of the blonde’s curls. Her hair was so beautiful.

As much as she didn’t want to, Zoe tried to steer the conversation back on track. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt. You can ..”

Shelby sighed, looking up to the blue sky figuring she needed to finish this. Not only for Zoe, but for herself as well. “I still hear those church bells in my dreams. They were the source for good thoughts for months. They took me back to that wonderful day when I thought you were happy and Ray was happy.. And even I was happy. I would hear em ringin’ in my ears and it would make me smile.. Smile so happily because I was safe. But - but I wasn’t Zoe..”

A sob broke out and Zoe cradled the blonde’s face in her hands - wanting the blonde to feel like she wasn’t alone. That she would never leave her. 

“I wasn’t safe at all. And now those church bells are the source of my nightmares. It was about 6 months after we got married when the drinkin’ got bad. And I knew it - I knew all the signs. I grew up with them all and I was just so - _God_ so damn stupid to not see them..”

Zoe’s forehead creased. “No. No you will not blame yourself for this, Shelby..”

Shelby cried harder as the memories flooded her thoughts, ignoring the brunette’s protest. “..He had been drinkin’ with the boys one night. It was bad. He must have had _bottles_. Anyway, he came home and it just started with some shouting. I was used to that. So I just ignored it, figuring he’d sober up by the mornin’ and everything would be back to normal. But that’s not what happened. He shouted at me for not having a plate of dinner ready for him in the microwave. That was all it took, Zo. A plate of leftovers. He was yanking me back by my hair before I even realized what was happening. And I - I screamed out in pain but he didn’t stop. He asked if I still loved him and if I had loved him he shouldn’t have to make his own supper. I begged him to stop - saying I’d heat up his supper for him immediately and he laughed. He laughed, Zoe .. and it was maniacal and terrifying and it hasn’t stopped since. The drinking has only gotten worse.. The abuse as well. The smallest things will set him off… dinner not bein’ ready, the dog bowl empty, I’m a couple minutes late to meet him somewhere.. It’s somethin’ new everyday. The other night.. When you were on the line, I -” Shelby hiccuped, desperate to allow air into her lungs. “I was in the closet downstairs and - he found me. He asked me who I’d been talkin’ to and accused me of cheating and.. He..” She covered her eyes with clenched fists as hot tears rolled past them. “.. He slammed me onto the hardwood floor - head first. I could hardly see anything after that and I passed out pretty quick.. I - _Oh God_..” 

Before Zoe could even breath she was wrapping Shelby in her arms tightly, cradling the back of her head as the blonde wept onto her shoulder. _Fuck_. This was so much worse than she thought it would be. She held the blonde against her - willing sobs to not wrack her body. But there was no stopping them this time. Her heart was absolutely _shattering_. Zoe was typically one of the sweetest, forgiving people there was.. But right now. For the first time in her life.. She wanted to actually kill someone. And she knew just who. They cried together for a few minutes until the tears finally dried. 

Zoe pulled back and wiped the tear stained cheeks in front of her. She gazed longingly - achingly into the blonde’s blue eyes. Shelby looked back at her, almost ashamed and Zoe shook her head lightly. “Shelby…”

It came out in such a small whisper that Zoe had to focus on every word. “I bet you think differently of me now, huh?”

Zoe didn’t break her gaze. She held it, strong and fierce as the love she felt for Shelby flowed throughout her body. “I said it once and I’ll say it as many times as it takes, Shelby. I could never, ever think differently of you.”

And Shelby was lifting her gaze again, this time hopeful. It all really had mirrored the moment from all those years ago. But Zoe didn’t just want that. She wanted this to be different. To not make the same mistakes she once had. So as Shelby glanced up at her - eyes full of love and hope and pain - Zoe moved forward. 

She gently leaned in to capture Shelby’s lips and she heard the blonde let out a little gasp at the contact. Zoe’s hands still held her face protectively as she slowly moved her lips over the other woman’s, careful to not move too fast. Shelby needed care and consideration and respect right now. Nothing else. She gently pressed her lips a little firmer and held them in place - holding her eyes closed as she enjoyed the ethereal feeling of being wrapped in Shelby’s love once again. After a split second of staying stock still - Shelby kissed back firmly, wrapping her arms around the brunette’s neck once again and hummed. Zoe stayed - lips attached to Shelby’s soft pink ones - not wanting to let go. Ever.

But then Shelby pulled back quickly and her heart _sank_.

The blonde’s eyes still held so much love but her eyebrows were scrunched in confusion. Zoe held onto the look of love, not wanting to fathom going through this heartbreak twice. If Shelby didn’t want her again, she honestly wasn’t sure how she’d get through it. She was fucking terrified of it. 

“Why?”

Shelby said the word with such affirmation and Zoe’s stomach rolled. “Why did I kiss you? I’m so sorry, Shel -”

“No..” Shelby spoke up again, stopping Zoe in the middle of her apology. “No, Zoe. Why - Why do you love me?”

And it wasn’t what she was expecting her to say _at all_. Zoe let out a ragged breath as her head tilted with a smile. “What? You are kidding me, right?”

Shelby looked defeated at that answer, glancing down to the grass under the bench. Zoe didn’t really understand, but all she knew was she never wanted the blonde to not feel loved. Ever again. She smiled wider and tilted the blonde’s head up gently with her fingers, holding eye contact once again. 

“Shelby. I have a million and one reasons to love you. If you’d like, I can start listing them out now? But it would probably really help us both if you gave me a lifetime to do that..”

Shelby swallowed heavily as tears sprung to her eyes once again. Her chest rose and fell as her breathing became labored and Zoe immediately recognized that feeling. That was the feeling of being in love. To the point where your lungs don’t feel like they can get enough air but too much at the same time and your heart is beating so rapidly you feel like it might jump from your chest into the other person’s grasp. A tan, shaky hand rose to Zoe’s cheek and the brunette smiled brightly. Brighter than she ever had before. 

Before she could lean in for another kiss, Shelby whispered softly. 

“I think I can do that..”

_______________________________

The girls held onto one another for another ten minutes or so, watching the ducks swimming in the pond before Zoe noticed dark clouds rolling in around them. Before they knew it, the skies opened up and the rain was literally pouring down. They gasped and raced back to their cars still parked at the ice cream parlour and Zoe was grateful they hadn’t walked further than the park across the road. The rain still wreaked its havoc though, drenching the girls almost completely as they threw themselves into Zoe’s black Honda. They gasped again trying to catch their breath from the shock of the downpour and the 5 minute run before the car was silent again. 

That was until the girls looked at each other and burst out laughing. Shelby threw her head back and Zoe had actual tears rolling down her cheeks as the sound of silliness and elation rang throughout the little car. Zoe’s laughter dissipated as she turned to watch Shelby’s face - so full of joy - that it had the brunette’s smile dropping quickly into something more serious. The blonde hair was now a little bit darker from the rain, the ringlets somehow still in place. Bright blue eyes seemed even brighter - as if the ocean lived inside those eyes she loved so much. Her cheeks were painted pink, whether from running or laughing, Zoe wasn’t sure. But it was beautiful either way. Her white smile shone brightly against her lightly tanned skin and Zoe was certain there was absolutely no one more stunning on this Earth than Shelby Moore. 

Shelby’s laughter died down as well as she realized that Zoe had stopped laughing too. She turned to look at her and what she saw nearly took her breath away. Zoe’s seafoam eyes were piercing into her own, her chest heaving up and down. Something about her stare made the blonde shiver - it was so incredibly _heavy_. The car became silent again as they held eye contact. Zoe’s gaze was full of so much love that Shelby found it almost impossible to break. Not that she wanted to. Her heart beat erratically inside her chest as Zoe’s hand lifted up to cup her cheek. She leaned into it and closed her eyes softly, so incredibly thankful to have the brunette back in her life. 

“I love you, Shelby.”

The rain continued to pour, droplets beating loudly above them - making small clanking sounds. The air in the car became thick, their breaths fogging up the windows. Shelby opened her eyes with a smile and an undeniable warmth in her heart.

“I love you back..”

This time it was Shelby pulling Zoe in for a kiss that took the brunette’s breath away. Their lips collided as the blonde reached over the console - this kiss a bit more desperate and needy than the last. She rolled her lips over Zoe’s hungrily and the brunette let out a little moan. The sound had Shelby pushing even further, desperate to get all of Zoe. To get enough of her to make up for all the years they missed out on. The years that she wasted. Zoe opened her mouth at Shelby’s insistence and the girl’s tongues met for the first time. Zoe whispered a breathy ‘fuck’ and the blonde moaned louder than she intended to - causing the windows to fog up that much more. She figured it was probably a necessary step anyway to avoid any viewers from outside. She wrapped a hand behind the brunette’s head, pulling her impossibly closer as she kissed her frantically. Zoe’s mouth pulled back, only to latch onto the lightly tanned neck and kiss softly. Moans continued to fall from Shelby’s lips at the feeling and _Oh God_ not only was this insanely hot but she had never ever felt so loved before. She pulled Zoe back up, needing to feel her against her lips again. They kissed for another moment before Zoe finally pulled back. Shelby gasped for air as both of their chests heaved up and down - hair and makeup an absolute mess. They giggled for a moment before Zoe’s face became serious once again as she whispered. 

“Shelby, I want to be with you.. Forever..”

Shelby’s eyebrows furrowed as her eyes gazed lovingly into the brunette’s. She placed a hand on her cheek, letting her thumb caress the skin underneath it. “Zoe, I don’t -”

“I’m going to get you out this time, Shelby. I didn’t do enough 7 years ago and I regretted it. Every damn day. I’m not making the same mistake this time. I’m getting you out of there.”

Zoe said it with so much intensity that she actually had the blonde believing that.. Maybe.. Maybe she could? Maybe they _could_ do this? But then she remembered the strength her husband possessed - slamming her onto the floor, smacking her, kicking her more times than she could even remember and _no_. She couldn’t put Zoe in danger like that. 

“Zoe.. You.. you don’t understand how strong he is.. I can’t see you getting hurt..”

“I don’t care..”

“Zoe?! Stop that. Of course you do, I can’t -”

“No, Shelby. He may be strong but my love for you is stronger than anything he can throw at me. We’re going to come up with a plan and get you out of there. Please don’t try to stop me, because I’m doing this.” Zoe took a moment to breathe deeply and calm down. Her voice softened significantly. “Shelby.. You don’t understand what you mean to me. What you’ve meant to me all these years. You.. I can’t live without you. And if I leave you with him.. I may.. I may have to..” A sob fell from her lips at the idea of losing Shelby to this monster.

Shelby’s face contorted in pain as her heart squeezed tightly at Zoe’s confession. “Shh, no Zoe, no.. You aren’t gonna lose me, babe..” She pulled the brunette in for a firm hug, running her hand along the spine of her back. As Zoe’s breathing evened out again, they pulled back. 

“Then promise me. Please promise me you’ll help me come up with a plan.”

“I will, Zo.. I will..” Shelby finally nodded her head in defeat, pulling the other woman in for another hug. They sighed, still worried but enjoying the feeling of being safely wrapped in one another’s arms. 

If Shelby had only known who was watching her from across the street, binoculars in hand - she probably wouldn’t have felt quite as safe. 

______________________________________________________________________

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Also I just went ahead and gave Shelby a fake last name b/c do these characters even have last names? lmao)


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> __________________________________________________________________________________________________
> 
> Right so apologies as this took me a little bit longer to finish than I planned.. but here is the final chapter. 
> 
> If you are still with me for this little story - I hope you enjoy. 🙏
> 
> (Sidenote: If I get enough readers, I might consider writing a little follow up on the girls' future? Obviously it won't be necessary if no one is following so just let me know in the comments if you'd like to read a little more about these two 😊)

Zoe checked the time on her fitbit again as the clock just struck 9:49am. She took another sip of her coffee and tried focusing on the screen in front of her that displayed her finals results. She hadn’t done too badly for missing out on hours of sleep, to be fair. She stared at the higher than anticipated grades on the screen.. But she couldn’t even smile about them. Because all she cared about right now was Shelby getting out. 

Today was the day - after taking a week to plan an escape, so to speak. Zoe went over the plan in her head continuously until she no longer needed to think at all. Shelby was meant to call her in about ten minutes and Zoe couldn’t stop her leg from jittering under the table. She gnawed on her thumbnail - practically gone at this point - and thought back to the plan. The only thing that was worrying her now was that apparently Ray had been acting ‘funny’ according to Shelby. Ironically, ever since the day the girls met up for ice-cream. Zoe couldn’t help but think how that timing was more than ironic and wondered not for the first time if Ray knew about their plan. 

But he couldn’t. Right? 

No, that was ridiculous. They hadn’t told anyone. After thinking about it, Zoe chalked up the change of mood to Ray being an unpredictable asshole and abuser.

The more she thought about it, the more irate Zoe became. This guy was a monster for hurting someone like Shelby. The word was too fitting, really. Because how could you actually _hurt_ Shelby? Zoe would never understand it. She was the sweetest, most kind hearted human she’d ever known: Yet, people continued to hurt her. It angered Zoe to no end.. Ever since she was 15. Which was exactly why she was going to put a stop to all of this abuse in Shelby’s life. This girl deserves nothing but happiness and unconditional love and that’s exactly what Zoe planned to bring to it - if it was the last thing she’d do. 

Zoe began thinking of how wonderful it would be to be just the two of them, finally. They could walk holding hands and go on dates and be together.. Really _be together_ without anyone getting in the way this time. They weren’t 15 anymore and Zoe knew what she wanted now. She wasn’t scared this time. At all. She was just determined. Determined and in love and she truly would do absolutely anything for Shelby. 

Just then her phone rang out, startling her from her thoughts. Her hand swung to reach for it and she ended up knocking the cup of pens and pencils onto the wood floor with a clatter. She left them and quickly answered the call. 

“Hello?”

“Hi, yeah I’d like to make a follow up appointment please for this afternoon if you have anything available?”

Zoe sighed, definitely relieved that Shelby was following through with plan A. Plan B would have only been considered if Shelby had been in immediate danger or if Ray had been in a sour mood. She was so grateful to hear that fake appointment request right now. 

She waited for Shelby to go through her script, listening to the other woman feigning an appointment with the hair salon in her sweet southern accent. She was actually quite an impressive actress and Zoe honestly wasn’t even surprised. Shelby was good at everything. She was nearly finished with her well practiced spiel - secretly informing Zoe they could stick to plan A as she went. As the brunette listened to her finish commenting on the type of hairstyle she was hoping for as well as confirming the time, she couldn’t help herself. Shelby was just too damn sweet. 

“I love you” was whispered so softly - almost afraid that Ray would somehow hear it over the speaker. Which was ridiculous as he was in the garage getting ready to head to work as Shelby was on the phone in the kitchen. But still, Zoe knew that that was probably a stupid idea. She shouldn’t be deviating from the plan whatsoever; and an unexpected ‘I love you’, as simple as it seemed, could have knocked Shelby off kilter. 

The blonde in question paused in the middle of confirming the time she’d ‘be at the salon’ today - taking in a sharp breath at the unexpected statement. Shelby smiled brightly, dimples showing just when Ray was walking back in the house. He stopped, noticing Shelby was suddenly smiling strangely and blushing. He cleared his throat to make his presence known, fire in his eyes and Shelby jolted - glancing under her lashes over to him. She quickly fell back into character, knowing that she obviously couldn’t say I love you back to Zoe right now. 

“So, 12:30 today. Sounds great, thanks Tracy! Yep, see you then. Bye!”

Shelby set the phone down gently onto the kitchen table and rose from the chair, strolling over to the coffee pot next to Ray. “I can .. I can make you a coffee to go, babe? I know you’ve only had one cup this morning and -”

The blonde’s words were cut off quickly as a strong, firm hand moved to grip hers. She was immediately reminded of her mom sitting in front of her and Zoe at the dinner table and wondered just when she had turned into her. Ray’s voice was low and menacing.

“Who was that on the phone, Shelby..”

Shelby tensed immediately feeling the man’s firm grip on her left hand. She knew better than to try to shake him from it. That would just encourage a much more serious reaction. So she stayed stock still instead, hoping her response would cause him to ease off. 

“Just my hair salon, sweetie..” She purposefully kept her voice light but winced internally at the pet name falling from her lips. He didn’t deserve it. 

Ray’s hand let up and Shelby sighed with relief. He pulled his arm back, but kept his fiery gaze locked on her. “Hair salon, huh? I thought you just got your hair done a couple of weeks ago?”

Shelby did everything she could to keep her cool while her heart raced at his accusatory tone. “Yeah I did, this is just another touch up really. They needed to make another appointment for my roots.”

Shelby filled the top of the coffee machine with coffee grounds and pressed the on-button, hearing the machine spurt to start. Ray laughed out loud and Shelby looked over to him, confused but plastering a fake smile on her face anyway. 

“Yeah, well.. I suppose your roots are getting a little out of hand, huh? It’s like I’m not even married to a sexy blonde anymore..” Ray accentuated his comment with a slap on Shelby’s ass making her wince and heart drop. She closed her eyes and sighed. He really did have a way of making her feel like shit. 

“Yeah, I suppose..” She kept her head down, filling Ray’s cup with the hot liquid as he moved into her space again. 

His cold lips brushed against her ear as he spoke deeply. “Well I’m headed to work. I guess I’ll see you when you get back then?”

Shelby knew how imperative it was to appear as if nothing was amiss today. As if there wasn’t a plan to escape at all. So she smiled, dimples reaching her cheeks and looked into his brown eyes. His heavy eyes were looking back at her and Shelby could have sworn right then and there he knew something. She hoped with anything and everything on God’s green earth that she was wrong. She held her smile in place despite the sheer terror she was feeling inside. 

“Of course you will.” Shelby turned to hand Ray his to-go cup. “Have a good day, babe.”

“Mhm. Can’t wait to see your.. _new hair_ Shelb..” And with that he snatched his coffee from her hands, leaving her without so much as a goodbye. 

Shelby heard the screen door slam shut and immediately let out a heavy breath she had been holding in. She listened to the distinct sounds of Ray’s truck starting and pulling out of the driveway as the garage door lowered. Shelby’s shaking hand ran through her curly hair as she closed her eyes - it was time. 

She had approximately 3 hours before Ray would be back for lunch and 2 and a half hours before her supposed ‘appointment’. The blonde quickly made her way upstairs to get everything packed and ready, knowing that the time would fly by before Zoe was here to pick her up. They agreed it was for the best to only pack essentials. Especially things that wouldn’t tip Ray off to her absence. Shelby grabbed a few articles of clothing, makeup and sentimental items she couldn’t do without. She stuffed them into the duffel bag she and Zoe grabbed from the store the other day and zipped it up. She turned on her heel, making eye contact with the bible sitting on top of the side table. She glanced over to Ray’s matching book of a different shade and rolled her eyes. _A lot that’s helped him.._. The man ironically read the book every night. That thought had Shelby questioning two things: Did Ray even absorb what he was reading and studying everyday? Or did the Bible not hold the inherent values and ideals she thought it once had? 

She was tempted to just leave her bible sitting on the table to collect dust, the pages to never be studied again… but something inside her had her grabbing the book and adding it to the few necessary items in her duffel bag with a shrug. She’d think about that later. 

For now, it was time to shower and get the rest of her things together to get out. Once and for all. 

______________________________

Zoe was becoming seriously anxious. Like to the point where she felt like she might just vom right here in her parked car. But Shelby was going to be joining her in less than ten minutes so she figured it was probably a good idea to not. She leaned her head back against the headrest and closed her eyes, taking deep breaths in and out. Her heart was racing and she could hear it beating in her ears in the silence of the car. She tried to take deep breaths, in through her nose and out through her mouth but it just ended up making her more light headed. She needed this to be over. She just needed Shelby here.. Safely in the car with her driving far away from that fucking monster. She just needed her here. Zoe sighed, foregoing the deep breaths realizing it wasn’t helping anyway and checked her phone again. The screen lit up reading 12:35.

_Shit_. Shelby should have called her five minutes ago? Zoe checked her fitbit, praying that in some weird coincidence her phone’s time was wrong. Her heart hammered in her chest reading 12:36 now. And still nothing from Shelby. Zoe jumped from the car, pacing the sidewalk trying to allow air into her lungs. Of all times to be late for something.. This wasn’t one. Shelby said she would call her right at 12:30, ready for the pick up. 

Zoe felt a tear fall onto her cheek as she now watched the clock turn 12:37. _Fuck_. Where was she?

___________________________

Shelby checked her duffel bag for the last time with a small nod. It looked as if she had everything she would need.. At least for a few days until she and Zoe found a place of their own. She checked herself in the hallway mirror, making sure she didn’t look as disheveled as she felt right now. Shelby glanced around the house, wishing she could just take her home with her somehow. There were horrendous memories here, yes.. But she had really turned this home into something beautiful before those happened. The kitchen was her favorite part. It was grande and white with marble countertops that she installed herself, somehow. Ray had insisted hiring someone commenting on how Shelby would no way be able to do the job herself.. But she had. It was a gorgeous kitchen that she was proud of and she spent so much time in there over the last few years, trying to take her mind off of her sad life. Making pies and pastries and stews and 3 course meals - just trying her damn hardest to please her unpleasable husband as best she could. But, she didn’t care when he shrugged and said things tasted just ‘alright’.. It wasn’t about him after all. It was about the little moments freedom she experienced... The small achievements she felt when a difficult recipe turned out perfectly. The pride she felt as she iced the perfect chocolate cake, topping it with sprinkles and pretending everything about her life wasn’t maddeningly shameful. 

Shelby walked around the kitchen one last time, her hand sliding along the cool marble with a sigh. She pulled out her phone to take a picture for memories and realized the time read 12:25pm. It was time to call Zoe and get out. She snapped the photo and tucked her phone back into her pocket, ready to grab her things and jump into the car ready to call. She walked back over to the mudroom door, picking up her duffel and throwing it over her shoulder with a heave. Shelby took one last good look around her home of 6 years. 

She was finally getting out. Finally getting away from _him_. From years upon years of abuse and tiptoeing around everyone she knew. From the utter fear she felt every second of her life. She was sick to death of it all. Shelby wanted nothing more than to just be _happy_ for a change. And she was ready to be happy with Zoe. The blonde smiled softly and nodded. 

The feeling of freedom and hope swam through her veins as she turned the doorknob, ready to pack her car and get out. 

But, as quick as the feeling of hope emerged - was as quick as it was replaced with that same sickening feeling of fear once again.

Shelby swung the door open only for her bright eyes to meet dark ones on the other side.

She swallowed thickly as he glared angrily at her. His eyes were full of absolute rage - bulging and piercing. His chest was heaving up and down as his hand turned white from his tight grasp on the handle of the screen door. And before Shelby could even think or begin to question what she should do next, she was being backed into the house against her will. 

_____________________________

Zoe was far past worried now. She was just full on _terrified_ at this point. It was now closing in on 1:00pm and there was still nothing from Shelby. No text, no call.. 

Nothing. 

She locked the car and set off on foot to Shelby’s house after pacing in front of her honda for a good 20 minutes now. There was a reason Shelby wasn’t contacting her and Zoe hoped and prayed with everything inside her that the other woman simply got side tracked. 

But in her heart, she knew it was something worse. Far worse. 

At that thought, Zoe started running. She ran as fast as her legs could carry her until she reached the outside of the blonde’s large colonial home. It was the first time Zoe had seen it and it was stunning to say the least. A white, clean paneled exterior framed by matte black shutters and a matching door.. Bright green bushes with white flowers springing from them lined the perimeter. It looked pristine, really and Zoe cringed at the irony. Pristine on the outside, perhaps. 

And then blue eyes landed on something that made her heart _drop_. 

Ray’s truck. 

It was parked in the driveway. _Fuck_. She knew it. Shit shit shit. 

Zoe took a deep breath and quickly bolted, hiding behind the cherry tree next to the front window. She needed to do something. She looked inside carefully, not wanting to expose herself just yet. Ray and Shelby were in the living room and she was so grateful she could see them from where she was. Ray was shouting. Screaming, even. And Shelby looked _so fucking small_. Ray easily towed over Shelby and Zoe pulled her phone out quickly. They hadn’t made a plan for this, but Zoe knew she needed to call 911. She could see the rage in Ray’s eyes and she knew.. She had seen that before in Shelby’s Dad’s eyes. 

She heard Shelby say something, Ray becoming particularly angry in that moment; taking large strides across the room. Just as Zoe dialed 911, Ray grabbed a fistful of Shelby’s hair - tugging her head back with brute force and causing the blonde to cry out in pain. 

That was it, Zoe saw fucking red. 

She couldn’t wait any longer.

Something inside her .. possibly not even consciously.. Knew that something like this might happen. Something inside her knew Ray wasn’t going to give up easily. But neither was she. 

Zoe pulled the handgun from her bag and left everything else. She had no fucking idea how to use it, but she knew she and Shelby’s sizes were no match for Ray’s. The man must have been at least 250 lbs and 6 feet tall. Her hand squeezed tightly around the grip as she felt a sort of comfort from the object. She definitely needed it. 

Zoe carefully went around to the garage door, knowing that Ray and Shelby were on the other side of the house. She slowly pulled the screen door back, careful not to let it slam when she made it to the other side. Zoe took a deep and silent breath as her feet moved slowly into the house. Luckily this was a pretty new house and she didn’t have to worry about any floor boards creaking. Suddenly, she heard a gut wrenching scream from the living room and she gasped. _Shelby_.

Zoe quickly but carefully walked down the hallway, through the kitchen as she made it to the other side of the living room wall. She could hear Shelby gasping for breath now as Ray continued shouting - demanding answers for where she had been planning to go. Zoe’s palms were slick with sweat - she gripped the gun that much tighter as she carefully glanced around the wall. What she saw made her sick to her stomach. 

Shelby was laying on the ground, shaking and broken.. Blood trickling down her face from she could only assume a punch to her mouth. She was cradling her wrist as her lip quivered, looking at the man standing over her with absolute fear. Zoe’s hand shot up to her mouth to stifle the sob inevitably trying to wrack her body at the sight. Ray moved closer to the blonde, towering over her again. He lifted his right arm, ready to slam it down onto a helpless Shelby when Zoe made herself known finally. 

“Hey! You fucking _monster_. Step away from her.” Just to accentuate her statement, Zoe cocked the gun as the sound rang throughout the room. 

Ray quickly turned his head and smiled. Zoe wasn’t expecting that. He moved off of Shelby and she was at least grateful for a moment. 

“Well, well, well.. Who do we have here, Shelby? Who’s your.. _friend?_ ”

Shelby didn’t respond, instead lifting herself from the ground into a sitting position to catch her breath. Blood poured from her mouth and Zoe wanted nothing more than to run to her and hold her forever. 

“I said, step the fuck away from her…” Zoe pointed the gun directly in between Ray’s eyes, more than ready to shoot if necessary. 

“You know how to use that, sweetheart? It’s not as easy as you think, you know. Takes a man's hands if you know what I mean..” Ray winked, a smile still in place and it took everything in her to not shoot him in between the eyes. 

“I have a pretty good shot. I grew up shooting, so thanks anyway asshole..” It was a bald-faced lie but Zoe was a pretty good actress. She was hoping it was convincing enough. “..And it seems the only thing your hands can do is beat up someone half your size like the pussy you are.. So I’ll say it one more time. Step. Away. From. Her.”

Ray held his smile in place but lifted his hands in a forfeiting manner. “Alright, alright.. That’s fine by me. The last thing I want to do is get shot by a woman. I’d never hear the end of that one from the boys..” Ray laughed menacingly and Zoe stepped closer to him to be sure he moved far away from Shelby. It was aggravating how bouyant he was being about this.. But Zoe didn’t really give a fuck. All she wanted was to get Shelby to safety once and for all. 

She made her way over to the blonde still on the floor, careful not to drop her guard from the man across the room. Zoe informed them both that the police would be on their way soon and right about now she really wished she finished that 911 call before. She wasn’t really sure what to do next or how they were going to get out.

And when Shelby whispered her name - gasping as tears of relief fell down her face - Zoe couldn’t help but look down at her. Through the blood and tears and fear, Zoe could see the woman she loved under it all. Her bright blue eyes connected with her own and Zoe’s heart picked up speed when the blonde smiled. After everything she had just gone through at the hands of her abuser, Shelby still smiled. And if that wasn’t a perfect example of the type of person Shelby was Zoe didn’t know another. 

It was only a split second of the women making eye contact before Zoe knew something was amiss. She shouldn’t have done that. She should have waited. She should have fucking shot him. Because now Ray was leaning toward the gun as Zoe pulled her arm back to stop him from grabbing it. Ray was quick but Zoe was quicker as she took off through the house, the large man running after her. She slid into the kitchen and around the large island as he followed, desperate to get his hands on the pistol. Ray slipped on his way in though, his sheer size being a fault now compared to Zoe’s. His forehead made contact with the marble island and he cursed, blood now dripping down his head as well. _Serves him fucking right._

“I’m not playing this game with you, bitch! Give me the fucking gun.”

“Fuck you!” Zoe shouted and ran as fast as she could into the dining room. She didn’t want this gun anywhere near Shelby. She turned around quickly, expecting Ray to follow her. Her heart hammered in her chest and then dropped when she realized he hadn’t. _Shit_. Where was he?

“Zo-Zoe!” 

The brunette’s eyes bulged as she heard Shelby’s screams. Shit. She ran, gun still in hand until she saw them. Ray had his hands tightly wrapped around the blonde’s neck, holding her with such force that her feet were nearly off the ground. 

“Shelby!? No, stop it! Stop!”

Ray sneered again, not letting up. “Put the fucking gun down, then we’ll talk.” 

_Shit_. Tears sprang to her eyes watching the woman she loved gasp for breath. She didn’t have a choice. “Fine! Fine. Just - Just put her down. Please.”

Ray’s eyes narrowed menacingly, dried up blood on the side of his face. “Put the gun down and kick it away from you. Or she dies right here.” 

“Okay! Fine. I’m setting it down..” Zoe begrudgingly set the pistol down at her feet. “Now put her down.”

Ray actually obliged, setting the blonde back onto the floor as she gasped for breath so heavily Zoe was shaking with fear. His hands were still close enough to her neck to return back to his previous position if necessary. “Now kick it towards me.”

Zoe knew that if she kicked the gun directly to him, he'd just end up shooting them both. This man was full of such rage and hostility and she couldn’t take that risk. She couldn’t let Shelby die. In any circumstance. So she did what her instincts told her to do. She immediately kicked the gun just to the left of him, as far away from Shelby as possible. As he bent down to pick it up, Zoe yelled for Shelby to run as she jumped onto Ray’s back with all the force a 135 pound woman could. She kicked and choked and slammed her hands down onto him as hard as she could. He threw his body back momentarily, but Zoe held on, forcing everything inside of her to fight. The gun was somehow kicked into the hallway as Ray tried to pull Zoe off of his back. 

But as hard as Zoe fought and kicked and punched, she was of course no match for the 230 pound man she was fighting. Ray finally grasped onto the girl’s shirt flipping her over his shoulders and slamming her onto the hardwood floor. Zoe cried out at the sudden pain and Ray laughed yet again. 

“I guess I’ll commend you for trying. But I am a little worried about your mental health. The fuck are you thinking taking on a man like me?”

Ray leered at her and ran a hand through his light brown hair. He leaned over her now, not breaking eye contact. 

“I was thinking how I wish I could fucking murder you for everything you’ve done to Shelby. For every scream of pain you’ve caused her. For every bruise and broken bone. For every ounce of fear inside her because of you. I was thinking how you don’t deserve to breathe, you motherfucker..”

Ray smiled widely now, happy that he’s won obviously. Zoe didn’t care. All she was hoping for at that moment was that Shelby had run far away from them both. That she was safe. That Zoe had distracted him long enough for Shelby to finally get out like they had planned. “Isn’t that funny how life works? Because it looks like you are about to be the one to not breathe, bitch.” 

The next 10 seconds was a complete blur. 

Ray wrapped his large hands around Zoe’s throat, squeezing as the air slowly seeped out of her. She kicked and fought but it was no use. Her eyes rolled back in her head and she momentarily thought she was going to pass out, thinking maybe that was the first step of death. 

That was until she heard it. 

A shot rang throughout the silent house and Zoe’s eyes jumped open again. _What?_ She looked up as Ray’s face leaned over hers still. She was confused momentarily, thinking maybe she’d just imagined the sound. 

But then his hands released their grip on her throat. He leaned back, eyes wide and looking down to his shoulder. Zoe gasped and coughed, willing the breath back into her lungs and that’s when she saw it. A bullet hole clean through Ray’s shoulder. The blood poured out as Ray shouted out in agony. He looked back at Zoe, anger in his eyes like never before. Just as he began to lunge for her throat again, another shot rang out and Zoe clasped a hand over her mouth. 

“God dammit!” 

This time, Ray clutched his thigh as another bullet hit him - blood pouring from both wounds. Zoe let out a sob as she looked up into Shelby’s eyes across the room. She was standing in the hallway, gun still in her hand and fire in her own eyes now. Zoe stood, ignoring the dizziness she felt and approached Shelby. 

“I can’t believe you shot me, you bitch!” Ray was writhing on the floor and Zoe knew how badly he wished he had his hands on this gun right now. But Shelby still held it steadily as she watched the interaction between the two. 

Shelby smiled back at him now and Zoe felt a strange sense of pride flow through her as she watched the beginnings of a broken woman feel whole again.

“Maybe you shouldn’t have attacked the love of my life, then.” 

The words flowed so freely over her lips and Shelby looked into her eyes. Zoe felt her heart jump, realizing that maybe Shelby loved her more than she realized she did. Just as Ray was about to respond, his large frame collapsed onto the floor - passing out. From the pain or the blood loss, Zoe wasn’t certain. But she knew it was definitely time to finish that 911 call. 

She reached for her phone, still miraculously the back pocket of her jeans and informed the police of the incident and to come as quickly as possible. She ushered the blonde out front, far away from the man still passed out in the living room and within minutes they heard sirens. Ray was tended to by the EMT’s, alive but still unconcious. 

Zoe couldn’t help the fear creeping up thinking about what would happen if Ray was simply released. She grabbed Shelby’s hand softly. Another paramedic was tending to Shelby’s head injuries as they lifted Ray onto the gurney.

“What.. um.. What happens if they release him, Shelby? I mean is this enough to get him put away?”

Shelby smiled, squeezing Zoe’s hand lovingly. “Well it oughta be, babe. But just in case it isn’t.. I have proof from over the years. I have a ton of journal entries and pictures to prove it all. He isn’t gonna bother me anymore. _Us_ anymore.”

Zoe felt a relief course through her. Ray would be put away and they could finally live their lives together. Like they had always wanted. Shelby watched Zoe glance down at their clasped hands in concentration with a small smile. “I can’t believe you did that, Zo.”

Zoe blinked and looked up into the baby blue eyes in front of her. Shelby was now bandaged up and the paramedic joined the others in the ambulance, ready to drive Ray to the hospital. It was just the two of them now, sitting on the brick steps of Shelby’s house. “Did what?”

Shelby laughed and shook her head in disbelief and Zoe didn’t realize how much she missed hearing that sound. Especially after everything they had just gone through. She didn’t want to admit it right now, but she was terrified as hell that she would never hear Shelby’s giggle again. “ _Did what?!_ Zoe are you kiddin’ me? You saved my life.”

Zoe shrugged, still looking deeply into Shelby’s eyes. “You saved mine?”

“That’s not the same, Zoe. I mean - You - You knew? How did you know? This wasn’t even in the plans and then you.. You snuck into the house and confronted him? Why?”

Zoe’s eyebrows furrowed listening to the blonde. She looked down momentarily, tears falling from her eyes as her voice broke. “You still don’t get it do you? I would do anything.. _anything_ for you. I’d die for you, Shelby.”

Shelby finally allowed the emotions of the past hour release as she cried, pulling Zoe into a hug and clinging to her for dear life. Zoe rested her head on Shelby’s shoulder, wrapping her in her arms as tightly as she could - desperate for the blonde to finally feel safe. She whispered in her ear, worried that holding her still wasn’t enough. 

“It’s okay. I’ve got you. No one’s going to hurt you. Ever again. I’ve got you.”

Shelby sobbed for another minute and Zoe just held onto her, so grateful that they were getting this second chance. Grateful that she got to hold her again after all. As Shelby quieted down, Zoe moved to pull back and wipe the tears from the blonde's eyes. But Shelby wasn’t allowing it. She hugged the brunette even tighter to her, burying her face into the nape of her neck. Zoe chuckled at the other woman’s stubbornness. Knowin she wouldn’t have it any other way.

“I love you, Shelby.”

It was silent for a moment until she felt the other woman’s lips graze the column of her neck, leaving a small kiss. Zoe felt her eyes close softly and sighed happily. Finally. Then she heard that soft voice speak against the kiss previously planted in the same spot. And she said it the way she had in her bedroom all those years ago. But this time, they had all the hope and happiness in the world to go along with it.

“I love you back.”


End file.
